HARQ Feedback Null Field Control Signaling

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Solution Overview

Problem

In wireless communications systems, inconsistencies in HARQ retransmission behavior between transmitting and receiving nodes can cause confusion due to unclear indications of ACK or NACK feedback resources, affecting data transmission reliability.

Innovation Solution

A method where a transmitting node sends a message with a null field to indicate that HARQ information feedback for a transport block is either given up or delayed, ensuring both nodes have a unified understanding, thereby preventing confusion and improving reliability by either retransmitting or waiting for feedback.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If the transmitting node does not indicate the resource for feeding back the ACK or the NACK, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of data transmission deteriorates due to inconsistent understanding between transmitting and receiving nodes on HARQ retransmission behavior

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol signaling complexityVSAvoiddata transmission reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the feedback resource indication from the control signaling by setting the first field to null, separating the default behavior (give up feedback) from the explicit indication. This reduces control signaling complexity while maintaining reliability through predefined default actions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses self-service by establishing default HARQ feedback behavior when the first field is null, allowing both transmitting and receiving nodes to automatically understand each other's intentions without additional signaling, thus reducing complexity while preserving reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If the transmitting node indicates the resource for feeding back the ACK or the NACK, then the reliability of data transmission is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional control signaling

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata transmission reliabilityVSAvoidcontrol signaling complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the feedback resource indication from control signaling by utilizing the null state of the first field, separating default behavior from explicit indication. This approach improves reliability through clear feedback mechanisms while minimizing control signaling complexity by using existing field states.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If the transmitting node sends a message with null first field to indicate giving up or delaying HARQ feedback, then the reliability is improved by unifying behavior understanding, but the time for data transmission increases due to potential retransmission or waiting

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata transmission reliabilityVSAvoiddata transmission time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by establishing default HARQ feedback behavior in advance through the null first field indication. This allows both nodes to pre-agree on feedback handling (give up or delay), improving reliability while minimizing transmission time by avoiding real-time negotiations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Reliability

If the transmitting node waits for HARQ information subsequently sent by the receiving node, then the reliability is improved by preventing confusion between retransmitted and newly transmitted data, but the productivity decreases due to waiting time

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata transmission reliabilityVSAvoiddata transmission efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses preliminary action by pre-indicating through the null first field whether feedback should be given up or delayed. This allows the transmitting node to prepare appropriately (either retransmit or wait) before actual data transmission, improving reliability by preventing data confusion while optimizing productivity through advance decision-making.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3958633B1Method for feedback instruction, and communication device
Publication Date: 2024.03.20 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3958633B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3958633B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3958633B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Embodiments of this application disclose a feedback indication method and a communications apparatus, and relate to the communications field, to unify behavior of a transmitting party and a receiving party. This ensures data transmission performance as far as possible. The method includes: A transmitting node determines a first message. A first field in the first message is set to be null, and the first field is used to indicate a time-frequency resource that carries hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ information. The transmitting node sends the first message to a receiving node. The first message is used to indicate the receiving node to delay feeding back HARQ information corresponding to a first transport block TB, or the first message is used to indicate the receiving node to give up feeding back the HARQ information corresponding to the first TB. The first TB is a transport block scheduled by the first message.